By Timothy An

Sunday, Nov. 22 at 8:20 P.M. EST

NBC

Spread: Chiefs, -8.0

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders face off on Sunday night in a matchup between the top two teams in the AFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs currently sit atop the AFC West with a record of 8-1, while the Raiders are at second place in the division with a record of 6-3. The Chiefs’ only loss occurred in Week 5 against this Raiders team by a score of 40-32. This is a must-win game for the Raiders if they want a shot at winning the division, while the Chiefs will see this as a must-win game if they want an opportunity to take over the first seed in the AFC from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both these teams have a lot to play for and we can expect a great matchup on Sunday night. 

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs head into Week 11 coming off of a bye week. This team has been playing well as of late, winning four games in a row and looking like a real contender to win back-to-back Super Bowls. This is a really important game for the Chiefs if they want a chance at stealing the one seed from the Steelers and securing a first-round bye. Their schedule following this Raiders matchup includes the Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Saints, who are all playoff contenders, so the Chiefs must show up and get a victory on Sunday night if they plan on getting a first-round bye. 

Chiefs Offense

The Chiefs offensive unit is easily one of the most dangerous units in the entire National Football League. They are led by Patrick Mahomes, reigning Super Bowl MVP, and include All-Pro TE Travis Kelce, All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill, speedster WR Mecole Hardman, veteran WR Sammy Watkins, rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and veteran newly acquired RB Le’Veon Bell. This offense is absolutely stacked at every position and is why they are ranked as the 2nd best offensive unit in terms of points per game (31.8) and yards per game (409). This team has a solid run game, but with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback they tend to throw the ball at a higher rate, leading to their league-leading passing attack throwing for 294.7 yards per game. No matter how good the opposing defense is, the Chiefs will always find a way to score. The only times we have seen the Chiefs struggle this season are against defenses that can consistently apply pressure on Patrick Mahomes with only four pass rushers. Mahomes picks blitzes apart, so the only chance the Raiders have of slowing him down is to rely on their defensive line to pressure Mahomes all night long. 

Chiefs Defense

While the Chiefs offense gets all the media coverage and glory, the defense has played very well thus far into the season. Analysts always say that the Chiefs defense is their weak spot, and it is. However, this doesn’t mean that they are a bad unit. The offense is simply so dynamic that the only flaw people find in this Chiefs team is on the defensive side of the ball. In terms of points allowed per game, the Chiefs defense only allows 20.3 points per game, ranking 6th in the entire NFL. This stellar defensive performance through 10 weeks can mainly be attributed to their pass defense. The Chiefs pass defense ranks 8th in the league in terms of passing yards allowed and ranks 5th in the league in interceptions with nine. They have consistently shown the ability to slow down opposing passing attacks and create turnovers in their secondary led by Safety Tyrann Mathieu. This defensive unit's downfall is their run defense. They give up the 4th most rushing yards in the league, giving up around 138.4 per game. The issue is that the stars on the Chiefs defensive line, DT Chris Jones and DE Frank Clark, seem to be pinning their ears back to chase sacks rather than stop the run. Against a Raiders team that likes to pound the ball, this will have to be improved upon if they want a chance to win. 

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders have been on a roll, coming off three straight victories after starting the season 3-3. The Raiders have a real chance to fight for the division lead on Sunday night, as they only trail the Chiefs by two games. If they win this game they will only be one game back and will get the tiebreaker if they end up having the same record by season’s end. This team has already beaten the Chiefs once, and we will see if they can do it again. 

Raiders Offense

The Raiders offensive unit has been a tough unit to stop as of late. Adopting a ground-and-pound style has proven to be effective as they rank 8th in the league in points per game with 28.3. This team is led by Josh Jacobs, the 4th leading rusher in the NFL with 700 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. Jacobs is a power back who consistently gets back to the line of scrimmage even if every gap is filled up by opposing defenders. When the Raiders need a change of pace back, they bring out Devontae Booker who has 304 yards and three touchdowns this season. This two-headed monster at running back has been dominant and seems to wear down opposing defenses in the fourth quarter. The Raiders’ passing attack has been very average, but QB Derek Carr has excelled in not turning the ball over having only two interceptions with 16 touchdowns. This offense is based around the run but has TE Darren Waller and speedy WRs Henry Ruggs and Nelson Agholor to stretch defenses out with the play-action. The Raiders must continue this ground-and-pound style and take advantage of the Chiefs’ shoddy run defense if they want a chance to win on Sunday night. 

Raiders Defense 

The Raiders defensive unit has been shaky all season and gets bailed out by how much time of possession the Raiders offense can control. This defense ranks as an average unit overall but seems to struggle in pass coverage as they rank 25th in the league, giving up 264.9 passing yards per game. The main issue with the Raiders’ pass defense is their inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. They rank 28th in the entire league in sacks per game only getting 1.2. The defensive line for the Raiders is a unit GM Mike Mayock has worked desperately to improve through the draft. They have two young DEs in Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby along with NT Jonathan Hankins, DT Maurice Hurst, and DE Carl Nassib. On paper, this should be the strongest unit on the Raiders defense, but they haven’t been performing up to their expectations. If the Raiders defensive line can turn it around and apply pressure to Mahomes, the Raiders have a real shot at another upset. 

The Prediction

I think this will be a high scoring affair between both teams as the weaknesses of each team is the other team’s strength. The Chiefs’ poor run defense will get dominated by the Raiders offensive line and RBs Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker. Meanwhile, Mahomes will have a day against the Raiders’ weak pass defense. I think the Raiders defensive line will be able to bring pressure early on, but Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will adjust in the second half and find ways to pick that defense apart. At the end of the day, Mahomes and the Chiefs’ firepower offense will be too much for the Raiders to handle.

SHAWN’S PREDICTION: Chiefs 31 - 20

AJ’S PREDICTION: Raiders 23 - 17

TIM’S PREDICTION: Chiefs 34 - 28

ROBBIE’S PREDICTION: Raiders 28 - 23

ZACHARY’S PREDICTION: Raiders 35 - 31

BROOKE’S PREDICTION: Raiders 31 - 23

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